Personal Finance Advice

I had an interesting exchange with my two sons yesterday (separately). I am trying to motivate my elder son to speak more articulately and with a greater awareness of proper grammar. He retorted that I do not know how to communicate and that as long as information is conveyed effectively, it does not matter how [...]

A while back I wrote about twelve things you could do with an old shower curtain liner. In the same spirit of saving money and cutting down on waste, I now offer you fourteen things you can do with an empty jar. Of course, what you’re able to do with a jar will depend on [...]

A couple of weeks ago we got the news that the company my husband works for is cutting pay by twenty percent for all employees, for an indefinite period of time. Once I got past the anger and frustration, I took stock of our situation and worked on damage control. While we do have a [...]

Despite the fact that it’s the middle of winter here, my dog has fleas. I got this great news at the vet’s office when she went in for her checkup. He said that the weather conditions here have been perfect for growing a huge flea population and now that it’s cold, all those fleas are [...]

I’m terrible with coupons, but this week I managed to get get $45.48 worth of food for $3.50 — if you have a Safeway (or Safeway affiliated) grocery store near you, I will show you exactly how to do it. This week Safeway is offering Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups for $1.00 each if you use [...]

When a foot injury (and bitterly cold weather) recently sidelined me from my regular running routine, the doctor suggested that I find some low impact exercise to see me through my recovery time. Biking was out, at least for a while, because biking in sub-zero temperatures holds no appeal for me. I was already doing [...]

These days you have to be really wise, especially when it comes to your finances. Spending on your car and its insurance coverage is no exception to this. Wouldn’t it be great if you can get the cheapest auto insurance possible? To do this, you must shop around. You can ask for help from people [...]

At the beginning of this year, I started posting a “thought for the day” on my Facebook page. I do this in part because I do not want my page to become stale, and in part because I enjoy the discussion that each quote generates. Not surprisingly, I have learned that the most life-affirming quotes [...]

Those large expenses that don’t occur monthly are a big reason why some people end up in debt. Even people who are well intentioned and good at avoiding debt in other circumstances are often caught by surprise by these big expenses. Insurance, taxes, and other bills that are paid yearly rather than monthly are all [...]

I know quite a few people who have tried to use coupons but ended up quitting because they got discouraged. They felt like they weren’t saving enough, or that somehow they weren’t doing it “right.” One woman put it simply when she explained, “I see these people on TV who get $600 worth of food [...]

There are a lot of myths when it comes to shopping, and one of the biggest is that women love to shop while men hate shopping. The truth, according to Lee Eisenberg, author of Shoptimism, is that men and women both love and hate to shop in about the same proportional numbers. The same is [...]

Aaron Patzer, the founder of Mint.com, thinks that for 20 and 30 year olds, the major savings problem is the cost of socially going out — dinners at restaurants, drinks with friends and the daily coffee at the local coffee shop. As we get older, the savings problem becomes one of trying to impress others [...]

One of the best ways to control your spending is to force yourself to use a mandatory waiting period before making any unnecessary purchases. Tell yourself that you will buy nothing until that waiting period is up. A waiting period gives you time to cool off, get away from the temptation, review your finances, and [...]

In order to avoid debt, it is crucial that we get the best price and value for our money on almost everything we buy. Over the years we’ve found that buying many items used makes this much easier than if we were buying things at retail prices. This was particularly true when we were young [...]

When we get bored or stressed, some of us tend to head for the stores to look for something to do. Maybe we want a new book, a new CD, or a new movie. Maybe we want new clothes so we can jazz up our wardrobe. Maybe a new board or video game will do [...]

It’s January. If you live anywhere in the USA, you are probably cold right now, at least at the moment of this writing. That means that you are probably inside and have plenty of time to think about things. Stop! If you start thinking, you may arrive at a New Year’s resolution that you have [...]

I’m a fan of automatic online bill payments. Having a payment automatically deducted from my account every month is convenient and environmentally friendly. No paper statements to wade through, no need to remember a due date, and no checks to write. However, automatic bill payment isn’t the best choice for every bill. Many of my [...]

I spent Christmas visiting my parents. When I am at my parents’ home, I am always amazed that nothing is ever out of place. I can walk into the house and know exactly what I will see and where it will be. I know what is in every drawer and every closet. If they have [...]

I married a man just like me. He had no debt going into our marriage and no desire to incur any. This has made it very easy for us to create a financial life together that we both agree on and enjoy. I know many other couples who are not so lucky and this has [...]

One of the things that I hated when I worked in an office was the constant drain on my finances. There were collections for birthdays, coffee supplies, and solicitations for every charity and school fund raiser. It got so bad that I seriously considered putting a, “No Soliciting” sign on my cubicle. It’s not that [...]